This is Edd Kimber. You might recognize him for being the first ever winner of The Great British Bake Off.

Make sure to read your recipe before you start baking…

“The amount of times I've been baking a recipe, in my own little world, blissfully unaware I have missed a step, is far too high for a guy who does this for a living,” admits Kimber. “Make sure you read the recipe a couple times before you get started. It'll give you more confidence and you'll make less mistakes — plus you won't end up starting a recipe you don't have time for or bake a recipe you don't have the ingredients or equipment for.”

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And prep all of your ingredients first, too.

“This is a tip taken straight from the professional kitchen,” shares Kimber. “When we bake or cook at home, we often weigh out the ingredients as we go — but if you get everything prepped before you start, I guarantee you'll make less mistakes, the baking will go smoother, and your results will be better.”

Invest in a digital kitchen scale to more accurately measure your ingredients.

“The biggest thing you can do to improve your baking (if you currently use cups) is to buy a cheap kitchen scale — nothing more than $15,” says Kimber. “When measuring a cup of flour using a cup, it can vary as much as 75 grams, and this can make a light cake heavy and dense.”

Accept that it’s OK to mess up — it’ll only make you a better baker.

“When you're first learning to bake, failure can teach you way more than success can,” shares Kimber. “When you fail you figure out what went wrong, and then you won’t do that in the future.”

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Baking is a science, so stick to the recipe.

“Baking isn’t the same as cooking where you can just throw in a bit of this and a bit of that and it comes out delicious,” says Kimber. “It uses science, and because of that you need to know what you're doing to be able to successfully change the recipe. You can very easily make subtle changes, but if you start adding liquid or changing the amount of flour or butter, you start to alter the building blocks.”

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Don’t rush things — and don’t stress.

“I'm a firm believer that baking is an amazing stress reliever — so turn the music up and dance round the kitchen like no one is watching,” says Kimber. “But in the same way that baking is relaxing, we shouldn't really do it when we are flustered or rushed. Baking needs a little patience and time, so don't try and knock up a chocolate cake in half an hour — it'll be a disaster!”

Don’t cut into your bread as soon as it comes out of the oven.

“There are few things better than the smell of fresh bread straight from the oven,” shares Kimber, “but if you try to slice it straight from the oven, it'll taste gummy and sad. Instead, pour yourself a coffee and wait an hour — and then, with the bread still warm, you can enjoy the loaf as its best self!